Efficient New Protocols for Converting Primary Amides into Nitriles Initiated by P(NMe₂)₃, PCl₃, or P(OPh)₃

Here, we present a protocol to adjust the properties of solution-processed CH3NH3PbI3 through the incorporation of monovalent cation additives in order to achieve highly efficient perovskite solar...

Nitriles can be reduced to primary amines using reducing agents like lithium aluminum hydride or catalytic hydrogenation. The reduction introduces an amino group with an extra carbon in the skeleton. Nitriles are formed from the reaction between alkyl halides and sodium cyanide through the SN2 mechanism. Primary alkyl halides are the preferred substrates to prepare nitriles.
Amides can be reduced to primary, secondary, and tertiary amines using catalytic hydrogenation, active metals like Fe,...

Naming Amides
The IUPAC and common names of amides are derived from the parent carboxylic acid, by replacing the suffix “oic acid” and “ic acid,” respectively, with “amide.” In the following example, the IUPAC name ethanamide is derived from ethanoic acid, and the common name, acetamide, is obtained from acetic acid.

Source: Tamara M. Powers, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University 
One of the goals of chemistry is to use models that account for trends and provide insights into the properties of reactants that contribute to reactivity. Substances have been classified as acids and bases since the time of the ancient Greeks, but the definition of acids and bases has been modified and expanded over the years.1
The ancient Greeks would characterize substances by taste, and defined acids as those...

All ortho–para directors, excluding halogens, are activating groups. These groups donate electrons to the ring, making the ring carbons electron-rich. Consequently, the reactivity of the aromatic ring towards electrophilic substitution increases. For instance, the nitration of anisole is about 10,000 times faster than the nitration of benzene. The electron-donating effect of the methoxy group in anisole activates the ortho and para positions on the ring and stabilizes the corresponding...

We fabricate metal/LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures using a combination of pulsed laser deposition and in situ magnetron sputtering. Through magnetotransport and in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments, we investigate the interplay between electrostatic and chemical phenomena of the quasi two-dimensional electron gas formed in this...